Konsbruck Hotel: Perfect.

It's always a little disappointing when a near perfect experience ends up getting tainted at the very end...

We snuck out of town on Friday for a quick get away to St. Peter, MN, booking a reservation at the Konsbruck Hotel, a new hotel in a historic building in downtown St. Peter. The Inn is located on the second floor, above Richard's Restaurant at 408 S. Third Street in downtown St. Peter.

The Konsbruck Inn It's a great combination of modern amenities and historic charm; the rooms were beautifully decorated with antiques, and the bed was large and exceptionally comfortable, and the room featured a new flat screen TV, a small fridge outfitted with complimentary snacks and soft drinks, and bathroom that had both a large shower and a beautiful, huge tub. The staff was very helpful and courteous, and delivered a complimentary rose to our room and promptly delivered a new light bulb for one of the lamps in our room after we noticed it was missing a bulb. In short, it was one of the best rooms we have stayed in a long time.

I sampled the dinner menu at Richard's that evening while the spouse and her sisters went to the concert at Gustavus. The hanger steak and small green salad were delicious and the service was excellent. While I was eating, a good acoustic band set up in a corner of the restaurant and began playing, making what seemed like a perfect evening just a little better.

One small cloud appeared on the horizon, however. I noticed a "No Parking after 2:00 AM" sign on the street when I pulled in to the hotel and looked for off-street parking associated with the hotel. The only parking behind the building that I saw had a large sign indicating it was reserved for a bar or social club next door (the Redman Club - how politically correct is that?), so after dinner I asked the front desk staff about parking. I was told by a staff person that I could park in front of the building and that they would let the City know that we were guests and identify our vehicles to allow for parking overnight.

It turns out that's not entirely correct (duh), and I awoke to find parking tickets on my truck and my wife's car. I admit to being more than a little irate about the whole thing, but to their credit, the Konsbruck Hotel promptly followed up on my complaint and set this misunderstanding right. What's more, the personal follow up on the problem really impressed me a lot - it's clear the management is really focused on the customer and that they are trying to really set themselves apart from the chains, which I applaud.

Two thumbs up for a great independent hotel with excellent customer service.